Study EFFECTIVE NGOs' ADVOCACY
STRATEGIES TOWARDS THE EUROPEAN UNION
Author: Mirjam van Reisen
Foreword by Justin Kilcullen
The Concord Advisory Group was established with the objective to explore issues from a wide-ranging
perspective. The aim is to open up space for reflection and innovation, the key elements for a healthy
developing organisation. The Concord Advisory Group members are nominated on the basis of their leading
expertise and recognized influence on thinking on EU development co-operation from a civil society
perspective.
One of the first tasks the Concord Advisory Group set itself was to identify elements that would help improve
Concord‟s effectiveness in EU advocacy. Based on an analysis of European campaigns and isolating the
elements on which the success of these campaigns depended; key recommendations are identified to
strengthen CONCORD‟s role in this regard.
The results of the study brought forward the importance of the finely-woven web of relations between
national development organisations, EU platforms, European networks and family groups, all fulfilling distinct
and essential roles in European campaigns.
Alongside these opportunities provided by this intricate and complex network of associations, also clear
limitations were identified. These were especially found in a complacency of attitudes such as: “change is not
possible”, “decisions are irreversible”, and the notion that “nobody is interested”, and “trends are already
established”. This lack of confidence expressed within the development community is extraordinary for a
sector that should be vibrant with people wanting to change the world – which is, ultimately, its only raison
d‟être.
The study also found that once such initial barriers are overcome, change happens, against the odds, and
what seemed impossible comes close in reach of being achieved.
What do we learn from these experiences? What do they imply for CONCORD? What should be
CONCORD‟s role in advocacy? And is there a role for CONCORD alongside this broad network of existing
organisations with recognised knowledge and expertise in their specific areas?
The answers to these questions are explored in this study. But I want to emphasise particularly the clear
response to the last question, which is squarely positive: there is a well identified need and desire from a
variety of actors in development who wish for CONCORD to give leadership in the identification, exploration
and provision of information on advocacy issues. Let us be clear. None of those interviewed supported
weighty procedures that leave no option but for CONCORD to support the „lowest common denominator‟. A
strive for consensus leading to constant weakening of positions is seen as counterproductive. In stead
imaginative, bold approaches coupled with measures allowing transparency and accountability should be
agreed so that CONCORD can be most effective. The research identified indeed key issues that need to be
looked at if CONCORD wants to do this well: early timing, allowing free and explorative debate, and allowing
space to “agree to disagree”.
There is a broad agenda for CONCORD to advance the political scope for a responsible Europe in a Better
World. This study gives us ideas of how best to do that. It includes recommendations adopted by the
Advisory Group that have been presented to the CONCORD General Assembly in February 2004. We
expect that these will help to generate ideas on CONCORD‟s role in effective advocacy strategies.
Justin Kilcullen
Chair of the Advisory Group
Introduction: the role of CONCORD in advocacy
The study on effective EU advocacy strategies, looking at CONCORD‟s role in these involved 24 interviews
and an assessment of five campaigns.
The role of Development organisations, National Platforms, Networks and Family
Groups
The interviews demonstrated clearly that the various actors identified in campaigns are seen to play distinct
and complementary roles.
In terms of the question as to who would take the initiative of a campaign it was clear that when national
organisations would take the initiative for a campaign, they would usually implement it through a co-operation
with the networks. In this regards the networks and family groups are seen to provide expertise, contacts and
to give access to the EU institutions. The networks also help national organisations to link up to other
European organisations, which is usually a necessary element to broaden the campaign and give it
European scope. The representatives of networks and family groups based in Brussels also help identify key
issues, inform on the upcoming agenda and help interpret the political nature of decisions that are coming
up.
All the same national organisations often play a crucial role in initiating campaigns, providing funding and
resources, establishing contacts in the national context and with nationals working in the European
institutions. National organisations also provide links to other global campaigns, whether in the context of
multilateral organisations or with other regions in the South.
The national platforms differ substantially in their scope, resources and capacity. However, in general they
provide focus to the European development agenda at national level and play a crucial role in engaging
national organisations with the European agenda. Some of these provide particular expertise and
knowledge. All of them quite clearly provide a link with national governments and reflect national agendas in
a more comprehensive way. This is seen as valuable elements necessary for successful European
campaigns and particularly helps to influence Member States.
This study looks at what role people who are themselves engaged in advocacy towards the European Union
see for CONCORD. The question put to them was not, what can CONCORD do? The question was, what
can CONCORD do in order to achieve more successful advocacy strategies?
To solicit views we put questions to those interviewed that were linked to experiences gained in actual
concrete campaigns. The views summarised below should, therefore, be understood as resulting from
understanding achieved in particular circumstances. They express valuable comments on elements that
constitute successful advocacy campaigns towards the European Union.
Weaknesses and strengths of European campaigns
If European campaigns are weaker than they should be this is seen to be the case for a number of reasons
listed below:
1. Search for consensus among EU development organisations;
2. Limited investment in education and awareness-raising; therefore limited public profile of the issues;
3. Limited scope of explorative and free debate.
These limitations seem to emerge from a lack of confidence, an inertia that leads to deterministic views that
change is not possible. This is remarkable given the absolutely clear evidence that once organisations
decide to engage remarkable changes can be made.
Example 1: the Constitutional Treaty
A good example of this is the issue of the subordination of development to the overall agenda of external
action and Common Foreign, Security and Defense Policy. While there was an overall inertia and belief that
this trend could not be changed, the Development Council was abolished, almost overnight. Equally the
subordination of the Development Commissioner to the Commissioner on External Relations was not
challenged.
The campaign on the Constitutional Treaty met equally with a similar apathy. Few, if any, organisations were
interested in taking it up, arguing that it was too late, change would be too difficult to achieve and the public
was not interested. However, as the campaign was launched with a few organisations in the lead,
remarkable change was achieved and the subordination of development made place for an enlargement of
the development scope in the area of external relations. As results were positive, an increasing number of
organisations came on board to help the campaign.
Lesson 1: Timing and action
This example shows that timing is crucial. Without initial action prior to decisions being taken it is almost
impossible to come to positive results. Issues have to be picked up early enough and be raised in order to
prevent negative decisions being taken. It is clear that NOT raising issues is not an option; when negative
trends are left to run their course without intervention, this leads to negative decisions that weaken the
development perspective. It is equally true that raising issues, even if this is done without an agreed and
well-defined perspective, brings issues in the open and increases the need for decision-makers to relate to a
public opinion, and operate within a context of greater transparency and accountability.
Example 2: the Education campaign(s)
The interesting element of the campaigns on education is the variety of approaches and actors, agreeing on
one principal element: that providing education is crucial to development. In fact, one could say, there is not
even one campaign on education, and this has provided an extraordinary capacity to mobilise resources and
political capital.
Lesson 2: Agree to disagree
The campaign(s) on education demonstrate that raising an issue itself is a powerful means to achieve
change. This shows it is not always necessary to work with one agreed position. In fact, a plurality of views
can be interesting and raise the profile of a campaign and by so doing increase the public and political
interest in the issue. This first and foremost demonstrates that consensus on the details of policy proposals is
not a necessary element of a political strategy for change, and reaching consensus should, therefore, not be
the primary objective of a campaign. On the contrary, agreeing to disagree can be a useful element to raise
the campaign‟s profile and help to reach out to include more actors and wider audiences.
Example 3: Budget 2004
The negotiations on the Budget 2004 were complex, particularly given that they were linked up with a
number of other developments. These included:
1. The introduction of a new form of budgeting (Activity Based Budgeting)
2. The introduction of new nomenclature
3. The review of the legal base for cooperation with Asia and Latin America
4. The Commission‟s initiative to proposal the integration of the European Development Fund for ACP
countries in the budget
5. A process of review of co-operation with NGOs
The budget process is usually a process that allows for a single-focused approach. However, this years
budget negotiations wee crucial in that these could potentially translate the subordination of development to
external relations in the budget. Fortunately this danger was picked up in time, allowing for preventive
actions that were very successful. Had this not been the case, much of the gains made through other
campaigns could have been lost through the re-definition of the budget.
Lesson 3: Identification of underlying policy trends
A single focus of campaigns can render success, but at the same time there is a risk that more relevant
issues are not picked up or picked up too late. It is relevant, therefore, that linkages between different
campaigns are made and observations from one campaign feed into other campaigns. There is a need for
spending time and energy on identifying and understanding underlying premises of policy trends. There is
also a need go understand the political nature of proposed changes – even of changes are presented as
sheer technical changes.
Example 4: Cooperation with Asia and Latin America
The campaign on the so-called ALA regulation is an interesting example in that the campaign had a firm link
to other sectors (particularly the environmental organisations). The campaign also had a strong rooting in an
alliance with the South, particularly the South Asian Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) and
Asosiacion Latinoamericana de Organizaciones de Promocion (ALOP).
Connecting in this way was not self-evident, as agendas and interest of different sectors and different
regions were not necessarily geared towards the same outcome. However, the campaign proved it was
possible to define a common agenda, with space for divergence on some more specific elements. The
linkages to include different sectors and regions helped to raise the credibility of the campaign and to get a
greater outreach to audiences usually not targeted by campaigns on European development issues.
Lesson 4: Linking to other sectors and the South
Where-ever possible it is right for the development agenda to be linked up to other movements that aim for a
social and responsible Europe as a global player. This enhances the scope and outreach of the messages,
and includes new audiences and political actors into the debates. This will help to amplify issues raised from
the development perspective and have these addressed in ways that respond to larger audiences.
Equally the involvement of the South is of crucial importance to demonstrate the legitimacy of the demands
made, and help campaigns by supporting direct contact between the experiences lived in the South and the
policy demands made at the European level. It was also found that the specific expertise on areas related to
the campaign from within the other sectors and the South substantially contributed to the formulation of
sound policy alternatives.
Example 5: the Trade campaign
The trade campaign is characterised by a high level of „insiders‟-knowledge, extremely complex files and
depending on intricate and complex links taking place elsewhere, such as in the WTO.
The campaign demonstrates the need for campaigns to translate expertise analysis to wider audiences in
less complicated language. The European Union‟s terminology is in itself already a barrier to larger
audiences, within specific policy areas the language usually becomes so cryptic that no outsider would dare
have an opinion on the matter.
Campaigns therefore have to pay sufficient attention to the way in which messages translate to a public
language that is more widely understood and links to issues with a larger bearing on people‟s lives and
perceptions.
Lesson 5: Outreach
There is a need for promotion of public campaigns and translation of experts‟ language into the mainstream
public domain. This will allow greater mobilisation of participation, and exploration of views at various levels
of public engagement. If this is undertaken in a timely way, this will allow more examination of pro‟s and
con‟s of decisions based on a diversity of views. Meanwhile it will help to raise the profile of the issues and
help clarify their importance.
Overcoming key challenges
The analysis of examples of successful European campaigns allows for some further detailed observations
on challenges that the development sector should overcome in order to have greater impact on the
European agenda.
Result-orientation and Fear for Failure
A final comment needs to be made on the general perspective towards advocacy. NGOs increasingly adopt
„result-oriented‟ approaches. The desire for positive impact is universal. However, if the desire for positive
impact leads to risk-avoiding advocacy strategies, this leads to a self-restriction that reduces the value of the
impact being made. The outcome of advocacy strategies is never entirely predictable. They depend on
timing, resources, consistency in approaches, but also on circumstance. If result-orientation limits the
advocacy agenda because of fear for failure than the principle has taken over from the objective. Result-
orientation should never be an end in itself, and any effective advocacy strategy has to allow for and accept
a margin of failure.
The dependency syndrome
Several interviewees asked themselves, are NGOs thinking big enough? Several raised the question as to
whether development organisations think sufficiently political, or whether this is merely an illusion. Some
even believe that, in this context CONCORD, is a potential venue to express what individual development
organisations themselves dare not say.
This poi9nt to a lack of confidence, often expressed, in that the development organisations are insufficiently
able to decide where there power lies, and unable to relate to the institutions from an independent positions.
There are a multitude of examples where NGOs do not lobby their governments, or MEP, or the European
institutions, but are lobbied by them. This is the irony of the dependency syndrome, the idea the
organisations depend on the politicians and the administrations for their own future.
A view on Europe?
In the final analysis, campaigns mean little unless they are carried by a perspective on an overall view on the
European Union; what it is, what it should be, and how it should relate to the South. This is aspect of
campaigning purely political, and no technical lobby can replace that final question.
A need was expressed for CONCORD to play a greater role in exploring this question, particularly also with
civil society organisations from developing countries. They themselves feel, as particularly expressed
through their platforms, chucked away in a box. They expressed a clear desire to be „mainstreamed‟ and
involved in all CONCORD‟s campaign, a clear message of the common path that needs to be set out
involving the „old‟ and „new‟ organisations in Europe.
In this context it was expressed that CONCORD should give identity to the sector as a whole, and facilitate
the development of a view on Europe that gives a clear locus to its development dimension.
Role for CONCORD in supporting Advocacy strategies
There are clear expectations and orientations towards the areas where CONCORD could make a difference
and contribute to a greater efficiency of EU development advocacy. These include the following:
 Facilitating debate
 Picking up issues timely
 Communication: inform and raise the profile of potential future issues
 Translate technical concepts into understandable language
 Allow diversity of views
 Explore political dimension of proposed policy changes
 Provide overall perspectives on the relationships between campaigns
 Outreach to other sectors
 Communication with and involvement of civil society in the South
CONCORD’s six steps in advocacy
The following six steps were identified as essential for CONCORD to play a part in.
1. Identifying Issues
Based on the crucial issue of „timing‟ facilitate sufficient exchange between CONCORD members to pick up
issues that will enter the decision-making agenda of the institutions. The networks should play an important
role in this, given that these are relating to the institutions on a day-to-day basis.
2. Creating interest
This involves raising the profile of issues that are expected to come onto the agenda. It entails
communication to the national platforms, mobilising thinking, raising debate, exploring positions. It includes
exploring links with existing campaigns, exploring interests in other sectors, and in the South. It also involves
demonstrating there is interest in the issue to officials who will be dealing with the matter.
3. Structuring co-operation
If it is decided that an issue will be sufficiently relevant a working group is to be identified that will be in
charge of following the issue. Alternatively a new working group can be established, if necessary. At this
stage it is important that key objectives are formulated for CONCORD‟s involvement in the campaign. This
should then result in a delegation of power to the working group. It should be noted that satisfaction was
expressed by interviewees in the working groups system, as long as it leaves individual NGOs also to keep
their own identity in campaign that they are running.
4. Determining positions
The role of the working group s is to explore potential convergence in positions. There should be no need to
have a common position, and there is wide-spread consensus that the politics of the „lowest common
denominator‟ should be avoided. Where possible the working group can identify „benchmark positions, no
more than 2-3 pages, as a tool to define more precise positions relevant to the course of the campaign. After
a formal consultation, the benchmark position would be formally agreed as the working mandate of the
working group on a campaign.
This benchmark position should only be aspired if sufficient consensus on the issue exists for this to be a
progressive political statement. If not, the working groups mandate should be limited to working on the issue,
in facilitation of views, communication, information, without advocating one particular political position.
5. Agreeing messages
The benchmark position, once agreed, will then service as a checklist to ensure consistency of a whole
range of different messages that can be circulated, depending on the recipient(s). This should allow greater
flexibility and adaptability generating messages adequately addressing a variety of recipients, without loosing
accountability. The letters sent by the working group in relation to a campaign should be made available on
the web and this will allow a degree of transparency that will help build confidence in the work of the groups.
6. Evaluation
A regular monitoring should take place to establish whether CONCORD‟s objectives in relation to the
campaign are being advanced. Self evaluation on the effectiveness and identification of lessons to be learnt
would be a powerful tool to improve future performance in advocacy. It is recommended that (self-
)evaluations are being communicated and disseminated in order to create a greater understanding and
awareness of CONCORD – which will contribute to greater confidence and involvement of CONCORD‟s
members.
Conclusion
There is clearly enormous potential for CONCORD to further develop its engagement in advocacy
campaigns. This role can be explored in the full recognition of the crucial and unique roles played by the
European networks, for their expertise, the national platforms for their unique binding ability at the national
level, and the national organisations for the resources they generate and the political initiative they are able
to bring to these processes.
There is an entire are of work in information, dissemination, explanation, facilitation and exploration of issues
that can be undertaken by CONCORD and which would strengthen the development campaigns in a very
important way.
CONCORD could potentially help to bring the sector together under a shared global perspective, give it
confidence and application to reach out for the aspiration of a European Union built on social justice,
solidarity and human rights.
This is a huge agenda. It is worth aspiring for. It can be achieved.
Recommendations by CONCORD’s Advisory Group
The Advisory Group considered the observations coming from the study and puts forward the following
recommendations.
1. A passion for Europe?
Are we really passionate about Europe? Do we know what we like, and what we don‟t? Do we know where
we want Europe to go? What should Europe look like in ten years time?
As a movement our horizon on these questions has to broaden, and our grasp of the issues has to be
sharpened.
We cannot engage in a European development agenda unless we have a clear view on what we want
Europe to be. It is the answer to this important question that should underlie all the campaigns. The success
of the campaigns will ultimately depend on the clarity of vision of a European Union that acts in solidarity with
the South.
CONCORD can make a tremendous difference by creatively engaging in this question, by giving the
development civil society organisations a common and joint identity.
2. Long-term perspectives
Change, with a capital „C‟, is not achieved through single actions but only result from concerted actions with
long-term perspectives. In this sense CONCORD does not need Quick Reaction Procedures, and is not the
forum for one-offs, single issues, or issues that require immediate stands.
Given its umbrella CONCORD will give strength to the movement by facilitating long-term views and actions,
overseeing the processes of facilitation, rather than taking over the task of developing political positions.
3. Overcoming the ‘fear-factor’
A tame development sector will have no future. Either the sector has a message of change, or it is no longer
relevant. CONCORD can play a crucial role in reaching out, engaging with other sectors, involving the South,
bringing the central message across that this sector stands for change. Change for a European Union that
translates its values of solidarity in actions, that fights injustice, and deals with the serious questions and
allegations of the lack of consistency in its external policies.
CONCORD needs to give an example that its existence can not be justified by relying on a dependency on
the European Institutions. The European Institutions need CONCORD and this is its strength. This will give
leadership and strength to the sector as a whole.
4. Sharpening up the Act
CONCORD can rely on important partners. Its members, the national platforms, the networks, they all have
an important contribution to make to the identification of issues, to the development of strategies, and the
success of the campaigns. CONCORD should cleverly utilise this potential, give space to the identity of its
partners, and certainly refuse to take over where others are playing important roles. Creating effectiveness
means exploiting and recognising what others have to offer, utilising the potential and allowing the whole
sector to grow. CONCORD does not need to be involved in every issue. In every campaign. The more
generic the issue, the more it is relevant to CONCORD. The more specific, the less relevant it is for
CONCORD. CONCORD can sharpen the power of the development sector as a whole by nurturing it and
encouraging a greater involvement of all who can contribute.
5. Benefiting from Learning
An effective organisation is a learning organisation. A learning organisation recognises the possibility of
failure, the need even, to make mistakes. CONCORD will gain strength from a continuous process of
monitoring, self-evaluation and assessment. It will also gain strength from soliciting diverse views, criticisms
and debate. A transparent and open communication policy will make it sometimes vulnerable, but will more
often give it strength.
6. Driving the agenda
Reactive campaigns are weak in nature. Effective campaigns require a clear agenda, a forward-looking
agenda, that it driven by a clear vision. CONCORD should create the capacity to facilitate the development
sector to set the agenda, to drive, to challenge the institutions and create space for the concerns of the
development organisations to be taken on board. It is a challenging time for this. Some feel the trend has
been set for development to be subordinate to the EU‟s external agenda of self-interest. It is CONCORD‟s
principal role to help challenge that view. To set an agenda that provides a clear alternative.
EXAMPLES OF CAMPAIGNS ORIENTED TOWARDS THE EU
Below follows a list of campaigns running in 2003 and related to the EU, that were mentioned in the
interviews. The analysis of these campaigns provided elements for successful advocacy strategies.
European Co-operation with Asia and Latin America
OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this campaign was to ensure a greater focus of the European Union on
poverty issues related to Asia and Latin America. While South Asia is home to the largest number of people
living in poverty, EU assistance to this region has only been around 6% of all its ODA.
The campaign aimed for the Commission‟s legal proposal on vco-operation with Asia and Latin America to
have a clear poverty focus with well-defined development objectives. The campaign aimed for benchmarks
to be included in the law for allocation to poverty related sectors, particularly education and health as it was
felt that under the Commission‟s proposal, spending was too flexible. Finally, it had as an objective the
inclusion of provisions which would allow for civil society participation in decision-making processes and
programming, (e.g. Country Strategy Papers, mid-term reviews etc.).
Budget 2004
OBJECTIVES: The campaign was an overall approach to improve the 2004 budget. This included
provisions relating to children‟s rights in the 2004 budget. The campaign also aimed to establish
benchmarks of 35% of ODA spending to be committed to improving social infrastructure and 20% to be
committed to promoting basic health and education. In addition to these two objectives, this campaign raised
the issue of the changed nomenclature which separated Asia and Latin America from Africa in the budget.
Finally, the campaign tried to secure an increase in the budget line on co-financing of NGOs from its
traditional level of approximately EUR 200M to EUR 220M.
Constitutional Treaty and Convention
OBJECTIVES: The principal objective of this campaign was the maintenance of a strong and clear legal
basis for development co-operation and humanitarian aid. The campaign aimed to have poverty eradication
defined as both the main objective of development policy and as an overall objective of the EU‟s external
relations. Furthermore, the campaign aimed to ensure that the principle of coherence, which was introduced
by the Treaty on European Union, would be included in the new Constitution.
The campaign promoted development co-operation as a competence which should be shared between the
Community institutions and the Member States. It also aimed to ensure that under the new Constitution,
development policy would offer a single framework for all developing countries. Finally, it had as an
objective to ensure that the integrity of the EU‟s development policy was not undermined by the CFSP, both
in terms of actual policies and institutional arrangements.
Education
OBJECTIVES: These campaigns are all united in their overall objective, which is the promotion of education
for all. There are a number of separate campaigns on education and as such, which follow below:
Global Campaign for Education: The focus of their EU advocacy campaign is mainly financial. This
entails working with the Commission on mid-term reviews and CSPs to ensure that education is a focal
sector and that any remaining funds are allocated to education. It also included trying to secure funding for
the “Fast Track Initiative”.
Global March: Their campaign has been mainly targeted away from the Community institutions. However,
they did send a petition to Commission President Prodi in which they demanded a confirmation of the UN‟s
0.7% target and assurances that 20% of ODA should be committed to promoting access to universal
education. It also referred to the Fast Track Initiative and a demand for the EU to maintain its position
regarding the proposed liberalisation of the education sector under GATT.
School is the best place for work: The objective of this campaign is a “coherent policy linking child labour
and full time formal education for all children under 14” and for 8% of ODA to be devoted to formal primary
education.
Trade
OBJECTIVES: The main aim of this campaign is to ensure that trade arrangements as part of ACP-EU co-
operation are targeted at poverty eradication. The campaign had a major concern that the “reciprocal free
trade arrangements” which were proposed by the EU would have negative consequences for developing
countries. For example, in the ACP context it was found that these arrangements would lead to a loss of
public revenue in ACP countries and that ACP markets would be flooded by EU imports. The campaign,
therefore, sought to put forward an alternative; rather than completely dismantling import tariffs, ACP
countries should be able to maintain them in certain areas. Furthermore, the campaign would like to see EU
standards on ACP imports complying with internationally recognised standards. At present, they are often
much higher and this makes it difficult for ACP countries to comply with them.
Additional campaigns mentioned
 Aid budget (0.7%) and Barcelona commitments
 Non State Actors
 Debt relief
 Children‟s Rights
 Right to livelihood and fair trade
 Right to health
 HIV/AIDS
 2004 Elections
 Presidencies
 Financial Perspectives
 EDF Budgetisation
 New Architectural structure of the Commission
Organisations interviewed
National Associations, platforms
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
France
Ireland
Malta
Slovakia
UK
Networks
Aprodev
Caritas Europa
CIDSE
EU-CORD
Euronaid
Eurostep
Solidar
Terre des Hommes
National Organisations
Hivos
Trocaire
11.11.11
Others
Oxfam International,
Act4Europe
Observers
DFID
European Parliament staff
European Commission staff